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Ken McPherson, president of the Fort McMurray Amateur Radio Club, shows off his equipment in his pickup truck. From the front seat, he can talk to other operators around the world, even if the Internet and satellite systems failed. The club is accepting new members. VINCENT MCDERMOTT/TODAY STAFF

When the Internet, phones and electricity go out, communities can turn to local hobbyists for help. In Fort McMurray, amateur radio is becoming a popular hobby.

Amateur radio provides more than an avenue to talk with people around the world: When emergency crews need information — such as the Slave Lake forest fires or during the 9/11 attacks — amateur radio operators and expansive networks are usually the ones to relay information to residents and authorities.

In many ways, they are an “end-of-the-world” insurance policy for many communities. The Fort McMurray Amateur Radio Club is currently growing and looking for new members. The club meets every Saturday at 9 a.m. at the Royal Canadian Legion.

Today: You’re the president of the Fort McMurray Amateur Radio Club. How did you get into amateur radio?

McPherson: I’ve always been interested in electronics. It started when I was in college and continued in the army. For four years, I did light armoured reconnaissance in the Ontario Regiment in Oshawa, Ont. Then I went into the navy for six years. Both those jobs relied on maintaining sophisticated radio networks. I work for Telus now.

How is amateur radio valuable for communities like Fort McMurray?

I deal with the emergency operations room in Wood Buffalo. Any time there’s an emergency, we talk regularly and put the radio group on standby. We could be flown into an area to help relay communications, to relay emergency messages.

We can also do email with our radio equipment. We can link up radios around the world. From the front seat of my pickup truck, I’ve actually sent emails around the world through a relay stationed in Oregon.

How is an email sent over the radio?

We have a radio interface — a modem. It connects the radio to a computer and we can send it out. We can be in a devastated area where there’s little to no infrastructure and someone can say, “I need to get a message out to this person and they don’t have a radio. “So I’ll ask for their email and use the interface.

What advantages does amateur radio have over modern communication equipment?

In amateur radio, we’re considered the experimenters. We build our own equipment, towers and antennas.

Satellite technology is still very susceptible to things like a solar event or a flare. A solar flare can cripple satellite communications. While it’s now better protected than they ever were, it isn’t invincible or impervious to space weather.

If they get knocked out, all our fancy toys won’t be protected. I can throw up all sorts of different antennas in the event someone hits the panic button.

Do you think that conspiracy theory, prepper stereotype harms the image of your hobby?

Yes and no. In some ways, it does harm it, in the way that it incites people to panic.

The prepper ones that say people will get violent, I hope people don’t get violent. In the 2003 eastern seaboard blackout, I was in Toronto. I relayed messages for my neighbours. People can get in touch with us and we can relay messages for people on a regular basis.